2 COMPANY EMPLOYEES WERE ASSIGNED TO COCKPIT OBSERVER SEATS BY RAMP AGENT. FLC DID NOT DETECT THAT THE 2 RIDERS WERE NON FLT PERSONNEL UNTIL AIRBORNE.

Narrative

WHILE LEAVING GSO; THE AGENT WAS ASKED BY THE CAPT IF ANY NON REV'S (MEANING COMPANY EMPLOYEES) WERE GOING TO BE LEFT BEHIND? THE NEXT THING I KNEW 2 PEOPLE WERE WALKING INTO THE COCKPIT. WE WERE VERY BUSY AND JUST SAID HELLO; WAVED; BUT REALLY DID NOT VIEW THEM VERY CLOSE BECAUSE AS SOON AS THEY WALKED IN THE DOOR WAS CLOSED ON THE ACFT; NOTHING SAID TO US AND THE JETWAY WAS PULLED BACK. I WAS EXTREMELY BUSY TRYING TO GET A PUSH BACK CLRNC; DO THE CHKLIST AND BRIEF THE JUMPSEAT RIDERS ON EMER PROCS AND USE OF OXYGEN. IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTER WE WERE OUT OF 10000 FT THAT THE CAPT AND I ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY LOOKED BACK AT THE JUMPSEAT RIDER AND REALIZED THERE HAD BEEN SOME MISINTERP BY THE AGENT AT THE GATE ABOUT WHAT THE CAPT SAID. AFTER SOME QUESTIONING BY THE CAPT WE FOUND OUT ONE RIDER WAS A TEENAGER AND THE MAN; HIS FATHER; WORKED IN ADMINISTRATION. THEY WERE VISITING HIS MOTHER/WIFE IN GSO; BUT LIVED IN DCA SEPARATED BECAUSE OF THE MERGER. NEW MERGER POLICY TOOK THE CAPT OUT OF THE JUMPSEAT LOOP DECISION MAKING AND PUT ADMINISTRATIVE (JUMPSEAT FORMS) AND CTL OVER WHO RIDES JUMPSEAT IN THE HANDS OF AGENTS WITH NO REAL TRAINING ON JUMPSEAT COURTESY AND PROCS (BAD MOVE!) (POOR COMPANY POLICY). THE AGENT; THE CAPT; AND THE JUMPSEAT RIDERS (THEY WERE AS SURPRISED AS US); WERE ALL CAUGHT UP IN CIRCUMSTANCES DUE TO EXTREMELY POOR COMPANY POLICY.